The present invention relates generally to riding toys for children and, more particularly, to a riding toy having assemblies that may selectively be operated as part of the riding toy or removed and transformed into other toys or playthings.
Children find great entertainment in pretending to operate adult-type vehicles or power equipment. Thus, many toys are adapted to simulate the appearance of adult vehicles like trucks, tractors, military vehicles, etc. These toy vehicles may even be motorized so as to be xe2x80x9cdrivenxe2x80x9d by a child, or may include more traditional pedal means, or may simply require the child to impart motion with his feet alone.
Various toy devices have been proposed in the art for simulating vehicles or machinery, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,462,874 and 6,165,044. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, existing devices do not provide a riding toy that is transformable into a number of different and unrelated toys or playthings.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a transformable riding toy having at least one portion that is selectively usable as part of the riding toy when coupled thereto or as a different plaything when removed therefrom. Further, it is desirable to have a transformable riding toy that may be operated as a riding toy or as multiple other toys unrelated to a riding toy.
A transformable riding toy according to the present invention includes a body frame having front, rear, and central portions. The central portion includes a deck upon which seat suitable for a child is mounted. The body frame is coupled to rear wheels and front wheels and includes a linkage for a user to impart motion to the rear wheels. The riding toy includes a canopy having a top panel with a plurality of legs extending downwardly therefrom. The canopy legs are releasably coupled to the central and front portions of the body frame such that the entire canopy may be removed therefrom and used as a child""s picnic table or tent. In addition, a digger assembly is mounted to the rear portion of the body frame. The digger assembly includes first and second arms coupled in a pivotal configuration with a first bucket releasably coupled to a free end of the second arm. The first bucket includes a plurality of wheels such that the first bucket is operable as a wagon when released from the digger assembly. The riding toy further includes a front-end loader assembly having at least one guide arm coupled to the front portion of the body frame. A second bucket (scoop) is releasably coupled to a distal end of the at least one guide arm. The second bucket includes a rear wall that may be slidably repositioned to cover the second bucket opening and act as a seat. Therefore, the second bucket is operable as a bench when removed from the front-end loader assembly. In addition, hubs of the rear wheels as well as the front portion of the body frame define compartments for storing miscellaneous articles.
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a riding toy that is transformable into other toys or playthings unrelated to a riding toy.
Another object of this invention is to provide a riding toy, as aforesaid, which includes assemblies indicative of an adult-style digging machine that are removable and operable as toys unrelated to a digging machine.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a riding toy, as aforesaid, having a canopy that is removable and transformable into a children""s picnic table.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a riding toy, as aforesaid, having a digger assembly with a bucket that is removable and operable as a wagon.
A further object of this invention is to provide a riding toy, as aforesaid, having a front-end loader assembly with a bucket that is removable and operable as a bench.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a riding toy, as aforesaid, that includes foot pedals or an electric motor to operate the rear wheels and move the toy.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of this invention.